We all saw it. Again. Nearly 700 Afghanistanis packed into a C-17 on August 15, 2021, sitting on the aircraft’s floor and hoping the giant plane could get on the only working runway in Kabul even as the tarmac was swelling with thousands of their fellow citizens fleeing from the...
Like many of you, I spent many hours this week in front of the TV watching the Olympics. In my house, our favorite sports are Women’s Gymnastics and Women’s Swimming, in large because Liz was a competitive swimmer for many years. My interest in the Olympics notched up even further...
While the Fourth of the July is traditionally the time for flag waving, fireworks and barbeques, it can also serve as a day for serious reflection about the founding of the United States and the ideals and contradictions of the American Revolution. While perhaps no single person more fully defined...
Under the rubble of collapsed hope on the beach near Miami a lost paradise now lies shattered in a million pieces of concrete. Hope is resilient and sends heroes to the top of that heap of shattered dreams and twisted steel while anxious family and friends stand guard by the...
On July 1, my final year at KI will begin. This summer will be a time of reflection for me and for all of us. Several programs (Rabbi’s Talk and Zoneg) this year made me realize that one of the dimensions of our synagogue that has evolved significantly during the...
The Torah portion for this week (June 6-12, 2021) tells the story of the unwarranted and costly attack on Moses and the leadership of the Exodus led by the unscrupulous rebel leader Korach after whom the parasha (Numbers 16) is named. It represented the most serious and bloody attempt to...
This week for “Rabbi’s Talk,” a regular Wednesday night KI online zoom program, we learned about the Warsaw Ghetto on the 78th anniversary of the uprising. The Uprising began on the eve of Passover, April 18, 1943 and lasted for 27 days. Although of little military consequence, the Uprising nevertheless...
One of Judaism’s greatest contributions to civilization is Shabbat. Shabbat literally means “day of rest” but Shabbat is really much more than that. Shabbat is also a day of holiness, Torah and celebration. Shabbat is more than the cessation from work. Ultimately, it is the basis of modern labor law...
This last week, the news has yet again been dominated by stories and images involving the police in the United States. On the one hand, there are ongoing reports of police departments on trial for the misbehavior of a few cops. On the other hand, there was also the gripping...
On June 11, 1989, correspondent Martin Weyl ran a lengthy piece in the New York Times entitled “How do Museums Speak the Unspeakable?” More than a survey of the then 19 Holocaust museums, 48 resource centers, 34 archival facilities, 12 memorials and 26 research institutes was a nagging question about...
